Brixton was a happy 5-month-old boy who lived in Diamond Bar, California, with his mother Liz and his father, when fate wanted a sudden heart attack to take his mother when he was only 32 years old. It happened on December 7. He left behind the child, who was born prematurely at 32 weeks gestation and who was breastfed.
Apparently, Liz had decided to breastfeed for at least a year, so a friend, Kristina Pulistar, decided that she would do everything possible so that Brixton could receive breast milk until then. Now it is known as the baby fed the milk of dozens of mothers.
The 'Milk for Brixton Project'
This friend decided to start a campaign called Milk for Brixton to ask for milk from her local donors. The boy's father, Brian, totally agreed, because he knew that it was important for her to breastfeed at least until the year and now, in his absence, he felt it was something he should do.
The baby was born seven months and began to drink breast milk from his mother. Aware of her benefits, seeing that she was greatly improving her stay in intensive care and that her baby had certain disadvantages with regard to term-born children, she decided that she would breastfeed for a long time. Apparently, as the weeks went by and the baby asked for more, she began to notice that she did not produce enough milk (we do not know if it was a reality or a sensation) and asked for help from other mothers in the area, who donated milk to lend a hand.
So, when she died, the friend did nothing but extend the request so that more mothers could help Brixton, and thus managed to collect 135 liters of breast milk, which today will surely be more. In addition, they asked for financial help to buy a freezer where to conserve milk and for gasoline, since they are the ones who are going to look for milk at the house of the mothers who donate it in a selfless way.
Less and less weird
Milk that is donated to milk banks, for babies in hospitals, is pasteurized to remove any possible germs. Milk that is donated from mother to mother does not. This means that there is a lot of reluctance among mothers, or that there are negative opinions about this procedure. In U.S.A. It is possible that it is not seen with such bad eyes to do something like that because they seem to be more liberal or permissive in this sense (perhaps more unconscious?) and even sell breast milk online.
Here in Spain it is perhaps more strange that there is a situation like this, but not because it does not happen, but because it is probably something very minority. I know cases of mothers who have asked for milk from other mothers because they have suffered an accident, because they must be admitted for some disease or for whatever reason, and the experience, as they explain, is positive.
By this I do not mean that it is something that I can recommend or stop recommending. I wouldn't do it for my son, but sometimes you have to live a situation like that to understand the motivations and make the final decision.
The friend, Kristina, explained to the Daily Mail that Liz was "An incredible mother and woman and that her children were her world, that she always had them close and did everything for them". Surely both she and the dad also decided to strive for the baby, in honor of what was one of Liz's wishes: that Brixton drink breast milk at least during the first year of life.
Photos | Thinkstock, Daily Mail
In Babies and more | Where can I donate breast milk in Spain? Do you want to be a donor of breast milk? Seven things you should know, María Durán: "Donating milk is like breastfeeding three little people"
